Electric Range/Oven wiring questions

I am about to install an electric range/oven and I need help with the wiring
requirements. This is for a late 1950's or early 1960's house. The house
has a 100 amp service panel that was installed in 2002.
Up until today, the house had an electric wall oven and a separate built-in
4-burner electric countertop cooking range. Both were broken and I removed
both of them today along with the cabinets that went with them.
My plan is to replace these two appliances with a single electric
freestanding range/oven, and I want to install that in the morning. The
electric range/oven that I am putting in was given to me, and it is a GE
Model JBP23GV1AD that is in excellent condition. It came with a 3-prong,
3-wire (not a 4-wire), power cord already attached to it.
Unfortunately, after taking out the original two appliances today, I
realized that the existing wiring is probably not going to be re-usable for
the new combined electric range/oven. The original electric wall oven and
electric countertop range were on two separate circuits. Each circuit
is/was on its own separate 30-amp breaker, and the wiring for each appears
to be cloth-covered 10/3 wire.
The only link that I could find regarding the manual for the GE Model
JBP23GV1AD that I am installing is:
http://www.geappliances.com/search/older-pdfs/49-8588.PDF .
Some of the wiring information is on Page 31 and 31 of that document.
I couldn't find the amperage/current requirements in the manual, so I called
GE customer service. They said this range/oven requires a dedicated 40 amp
circuit.
So, here are the questions/issues that I would like to figure out:
1) I assume that the two existing 30-amp 10/3-wire dedicated circuits can't
be re-used with the new (used) stove that I am now installing. Is that
correct?
2) I can fairly easily run a new dedicated circuit for the new range/oven.
It's fairly easy because the electric service panel is in the full
unfinished basement, and I can run the new circuit where either of the old
ones are already located -- across the ceiling and up through the floor
directly to the new range/oven. The total run is less than 60 feet
(probably closer to 50 feet). What size wire should I run and what size
breaker should I use?
3) I assume that I can use a 40-amp breaker and use #8 wire for that, since
the range/oven I have now is a 40-amp appliance (according to GE). But, if
I later replace this electric range/oven with a new one, I am guessing that
it may be a 50-amp range/oven since that's what most of them seem to be
after a quick check on the Internet. So, would it be smarter to just run a
50-amp circuit now (which I assume means a 50-amp breaker and #6 wire) -- is
that correct?
4) And, finally, do I need to (or should I) do a 4-wire hook-up with a
4-prong plug, or is the current 3-wire/3-prong plug sufficient? In either
case (whether I use the existing 3-prong or a new 4-prong plug), is the new
dedicated circuit wire type the same? -- meaning either 8/3 (40-amp) or 6/3
(50-amp) with ground?
Thanks.

The new cable will probably be type nm (Romex). You do want to install a
50 amp range outlet, and new 4 wire cord set on the range. When you
install the cord set, you need to remove the jumper that currently
bridges the neutral (white wire) and the frame of the range.

Thanks RBM and everyone else. Mission accomplished. I did the hookup with
a new 50-amp circuit, used #6/3 NM wire with ground, used a new 4 wire cord
set, and did the jumper removal when converting from the original 3-wire
cord to the new 4-wire cord. And, it all worked!

No, there is not. I've been following the convenience outlet topic here and
remembered to specifically look today. I don't recall seeing any either on
any range/ovens in recent years -- and I have bought maybe 4 or 5 in recent
years for various properties. Other than the electric range/oven that I
installed today, all of the ones I bought were natural gas. They all needed
an outlet to plug into because they all have electronic pilot/ignition and a
few have clocks. None have their own convenience outlet and I don't recall
seeing any knockouts on any of them where one (or two) could be installed --
but I wasn't looking specifically to see if there are any knockouts in any
of the range/oven cabinets.
To be honest, I was wondering what's up with this topic and why the
responses here seem to vary so much. But then I noticed that Nestork posted
something about being in Canada, and I think it may turn out to be a "Canada
thing" as you suggested, and not something that is normally found in the
U.S.
I'm definitely going to be looking in all of the Home Depots and Lowes etc.
that I go to in the next few days or week or so. I really am curious what
the story is on them, meaning, "is they is or is they ain't" -- I just don't
know.

Do you have a 50Amp breaker for the panel? Everything else you say
seems reasonable, I would go with the 50A circuit and breaker and 4-
prong plug/socket for future upgrading.
+++++
I don't have the 50-amp breaker yet, but that's what I'll get -- plus the
4-prong plug, cord, and outlet.

TomR:
You may not be aware of it, but there is no plug and receptacle
configuration for a 240 volt 40 amp circuit. There's one for 240 volt
30 amps and one for 240 volt, 50 amps, but there just isn't one for 240
volt 40 amps.
So, the range cord and receptacle you'll be needing to buy will be
configured for a 240 volt 50 amp circuit, and at that point it only
makes sense to pay a bit more and get the 6 gauge wire to provide 50 amp
service to the range even though it's only rated for 40 amps.
The other thing to keep in mind is that lots of new stoves only come
with one convenience outlet even though there will be a hole stamped for
a second one. In a kitchen, you can never have enough electrical
outlets. A second outlet is very easy to add, and when you do, you're
going to be wanting the cable to your stove to be rated at 50 amps
because that second convenience outlet might draw up to 15 amps. They
very easy to add and you can buy the outlets at any appliance parts
store. You'll also have to add a second fuse holder in an accessible
location if you add a second convenience outlet.

Thanks. That's good to know. I was actually wondering about that regarding
the existing 3-prong power cord that came with the range/oven. That means
it is probably a 50-ampt 3-prong power cord. But, since I will be switching
to a 4-prong cord, it doesn't really matter what the 3-prong one that I
already have is.

Yes, I agree. And, so far, that's the consensus of everyone else here.

I'm not sure what a convenience outlet is, but I assume that it is a
built-in 110/120V outlet in the range/oven. I'll have to look at it
tomorrow and see what I have.

From a non-electrical perspective, I would only add that I think
switching from seperate wall ovens and cooktop to a combined
stove lessens resale value. Depending on what's being done
with the house overall, it may not matter. But for a typical house
I think it's a mistake to switch to a stove. What is very attractive
today is a double wall oven, seperate cooktop. But then they
are also a lot more expensive and what he's getting is free.

Exactly. It'll be a 120 VAC receptacle typically mounted on the
vertical panel between the stove's cooktop and console.
Appliance manufacturers will offer ranges in a variety of models; from
your basic range with coil surface elements to ones with all the bells
and whistles; a convection oven, ceramic cooktop, etc. The more
expensive stoves will have two convenience outlets, but most will only
have one. However, since it's more expensive to make and warehouse TWO
different panels instead of one, appliance manufacturers will stamp
every panel with two holes for two convenience outlets. And, in their
less expensive models they'll only install one convenience outlet and
cover the other hole with a plastic cover. So, if you see such a
plastic cover on a stove, you can remove it so that you can install
another convenience outlet yourself.
But, since a range will have 40 or 50 amp breakers going to it, any
convenience outlet you install between the two power sources and neutral
in a stove will be 120 volt 50 AMP circuits, and that kind of circuit is
dangerous because it'll keep pumping out power even if there's a short
circuit. So, every convenience outlet on a range will have it's own
fuse to limit the current to the convenience outlet to 15 amps instead
of 50 amps. Since the manufacturer also makes those same ranges in a
different model with two convenience outlets, the threaded holes for
installing a second fuse holder will also be in an accessible spot on
the stove, so you don't actually have to cut or drill anything. All the
holes to install another outlet will be there, it's just that they'll be
empty or fitted with a plastic cover.

re: "However, since it's more expensive to make and warehouse TWO
different panels instead of one, appliance manufacturers will stamp
every panel with two holes for two convenience outlets."
Be careful when making broad statements.
My current (gas) range has zero convenience receptacles and zero
stamped holes where receptacles might go. Therefore, either they never
include convenience receptacles or they make multiple panels.
Now, before you jump on the fact that this is a gas range, my previous
gas range had one convenience receptacle and no extra stamped area for
another.
My only point is that not every manufacturer follows your description
of how the panels are made.

Yeah, but you're taking what I said out of context.
I was talking about companies that make multiple models of ranges that
all use the same cabinet style. If some of those models feature two
convenience outlets; some only one convenience outlet and some no
convenience outlets, then it's dumb to warehouse and keep inventory of
three different kinds of panels. It would be less expensive to stamp
all the panels the same way and provide plastic covers to fit in the
holes that aren't needed.
You're talking about different ranges probably made by different
manufacturers at different times. It's most likely that at the time
your stoves were made, the manufacturer only provided one or no
convenience outlet on all of the gas ranges they made.
I'm sure that if either manufacturer made a gas range with two
convenience outlets that used the same cabinet style as yours, then you
would have seen one or two plastic covers on your ranges, too. Three
different panels; one for each kind of range would be dumb engineering
and/or dumb company management.

I just tossed one electric range and installed a new one in my house,
and neither had convenience outlets or any location where one could go.
And as an electrician who installs ranges fairly often, I don't remember
the last time I even saw an outlet mounted on a range.

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